


Sunsets and Secrets

by BorntoShipVictuuri



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Comfort/Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:07:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28863789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BorntoShipVictuuri/pseuds/BorntoShipVictuuri
Summary: Crushes never had to be simple for Alex Mercer, did they? Especially not when it came to Willie. A fluffy fic in which Alex turns to Willie for some advice regarding his love life, and gets more than he'd bargained for.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	Sunsets and Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so this is my first fic in the JATP fandom, and possibly my only, therefore any feedback is appreciated! I wrote this impulsively and late at night, so I apologise in advance if the pacing seems rushed. Enjoy! :)

“Hey, Alex. What’s up, man?” Willie greeted his good friend, with a blinding smile that made his heart stop every time he saw it. He dredged up a smile of his own, albeit a nervous one, and hoped that his sweaty palms and the consistent drumming on his legs wouldn’t give him away.

“Oh, hey, bro. Not much. I just wanted your advice on something,” he explained, staring out at the desolated beach ahead of him. Willie sat down on the sand next to him and raising an eyebrow. He looked somewhat perplexed at what had just been said. Given his reckless nature, he was hardly somebody most people turned to when it came to their life (well, technically afterlife) problems. Yet, Alex relied on him as emotional support, and the question kind of related to him, so he was the most convenient person to discuss this matter with. Reggie and Luke were busy, and would tease him mercilessly about his crush on Willie for an hour, as they had done before in the past. Julie was busy too, with her music and her schoolwork, which, in his mind, left Willie.

Now free of Caleb Covington forever (after one impactful final encounter with him two months prior, that saw him disappear for good), the guy had a new spring to his step that Alex had never seen before. And he thought that he’d been energetic before? Safe to say, he’d been sorely mistaken. He wasn’t complaining, however. He liked the bounce that Willie had to him, the new, mischievous light sparkling in his eyes. He liked the way his grin was carefree and relaxed, much like his demeanour nowadays. Most importantly, he liked Willie himself-as more than a friend.

It was hardly a secret, as far as his friends were concerned, but he’d still been keeping his feelings hidden away from the skateboarder, not wishing to ruin the close friendship that had formed between the two of them. His wishful thinking had him wondering if there could be a possibility that his crush was requited, but he doubted it; if he couldn’t even have managed to get a boyfriend in his life, what chance did he have in his afterlife?

“You want me to give you advice on something?” Willie clarified. Alex nodded. “I see. Well, go for it. What did you want to ask me about?”

Flushing, Alex took a deep breath and mentally steeled himself for the words that were about to leave his mouth. This could potentially ruin their relationship if he figured out who he was talking about, but he had to go for it. This whole conversation would be a waste of time, if not.

“What would you do if you had a crush on someone who you thought didn’t like you back? Someone you were close to, who knew you well. How would you go about telling them about your feelings? Would you tell them at all?”

There was a brief pause between them as Willie digested those words, a slight scowl appearing across his face that indicated he was considering his next words as carefully as possible, a rarity given the fact that he was such an impulsive person. “I would want to be as open and honest with someone I was close to as much as possible,” he began, initiating direct eye contact with Alex and making him feel vulnerable, exposed, or like he was glass, transparent enough to be seen through. “I can tell that, knowing you, this has been on your mind for a while, and has been causing you a great deal of stress, or why else would you offload it onto me, of all people? You usually turn to Julie or Luke or Reggie for this sort of thing, not me. But anyway, I value honesty and trust and all, but your romantic feelings for someone shouldn’t risk jeopardising your relationship, so I understand being scared to tell them. If the friendship is strong enough, though, then it’s easily worth telling them.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Willie nodded. “Really.”

Thinking about what he’d just been told, Alex chewed down on his lip thoughtfully. He always got quiet when he was lost deep in thought, and this time was therefore no exception. “I guess you’re right,” he conceded after about half a minute of awkward silence in which Willie had stared at him, perplexed, as if he were an elaborate puzzle that he was trying his best to figure out.

He smirked. “Of course, I am, I’m always right.” Alex nudged him playfully, and they both burst out into laughter. It felt nice.

“You wish!” Alex soon retorted, only joking, before lapsing into silence again while his thoughts ran wild. Abruptly, his train of thought was interrupted by a hand being placed on his shoulder. He turned to face Willie, finding that confusion was misting over his dark, beautiful eyes. 

“Alex,” he asked, his tone as light as he could make it, but with thinly-veiled seriousness lying underneath it. “Who is it that you have a crush on?”

Oh no. Not this, please. Anything but this. Feeling his heart drop to his stomach, Alex turned away so that he wouldn’t be forced to face the person interrogating him, the one who’d been the whole reason he’d been forced to consult him in the first place. He couldn’t help but muse over how ironic it was, really, this situation that he was stuck with. “Um, I’m afraid I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?” Willie’s voice was soft, with an edge to it that suggested he was slightly hurt at the thought of Alex not trusting him.

Alex dragged his sleeve across his face furiously, in a futile attempt to wipe away the tears that had sprung to his eyes at the thought of the possible angry outburst he’d be subjected to. Even if he wasn’t going to get angry at him, Willie could still be judgemental and rude, or cold and uncaring, or-and this was the worst scenario of all in his mind, make no mistake about it-was kind and understanding, killing him softly with a polite rejection. “Because. I just can’t. It’s complicated, okay?”

Sensing that Alex was upset, Willie moved closer to him, their knees touching. Alex shivered, feeling electricity course through his veins at the touch; it was a warm day, and so they were both wearing shorts, meaning that their bare skin was on show. It was both thrilling and intimidating at the same time.

“Alex, look at me,” he instructed the drummer, his voice soft without being patronising. Reluctantly, a teary-eyed Alex obliged him. “What’s so complicated about it? You like them, right?”

He let out a laugh; the answer was crystal clear. “Yes, of course I do.”

Willie clasped Alex’s pale hands into his own, taking him completely by surprise. “Then tell them,” he urged. “It really is that simple, I promise.”

Alex sighed, not sure if he could go through with it. Willie released his hands. “I don’t know, man, I don’t want to mess things up.”

“And you won’t,” Willie pointed out. If only Alex had his confidence.

Picking a hole in his hoodie, he decided that if he’d come so far and allowed himself such vulnerability around his friend, he could probably tell him that he had feelings for him, and that he’d possessed those romantic feelings for him ever since they first met when he’d crashed into him with his skateboard. What was stopping him? In his eyes, the only thing stopping him appeared to be, well, himself. This was a situation he was in control of, he reminded himself-he resented the feeling of being out-of-control; it was one of his worst nightmares. At least he was in control here. That was reassuring. Mustering up a strength he didn’t know he had, Alex was honest and came out with the truth.

“Willie, I wanted to speak to you about this because the person I have a crush on is you,” he admitted, wincing at his own words and drawing pictures into the golden-white sand below his bare feet. He didn’t dare to look at Willie. He was hunched in on himself, a self-defence mechanism of his. It provided him with a form of protection, almost. “I always have, ever since the first time we left. I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable, or if you want to break off our friendship, I fully understand.”

He stared out to the dazzling sea, his vision blurred with tears. He'd gathered that perhaps he should leave, before things escalated further-Willie's silence certainly wasn't aiding his anxiety right now. He tried to stand up, but Willie grabbed his arm and pulled him back down again. Alex turned to him, not quite understanding what was happening. 

"Alex, is it true? I mean, really? Of all people to... Are you being honest with me? You have a crush on _me?"_ At this, he couldn't help but roll his eyes in response to Willie's display of utter shock and disbelief. 

"Obviously. Like I said, I've always had feelings for you. But it's okay-I know you're straight, and that you don't like me back." 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said that?" 

Alex scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, technically nobody said that, but I just assumed-" 

Willie laughed, his eyes glittering like some precious jewel. "Exactly. You just _assumed,_ without knowing the truth." 

What did he even mean by that? His words had piqued Alex's curiosity, that much was for certain. Surely, he couldn't be suggesting that he liked him back, could he? No, of course not. He was just deluding himself. "Which is...?" 

"Which is, that I feel the same way about you. Ever since we first met, I knew that there was something special about you that I couldn't quite place. Oh, and you're a very handsome guy. It didn't take me very long to realise that I was attracted to you," Willie revealed, causing Alex's jaw to drop to the floor. 

"You like me back? Are you serious? You're not joking, are you? Please tell me you're not joking," Alex practically pleaded, his sapphire eyes set alight with hope. Willie smiled at him then, a soft, tender smile he'd only seen once or twice before, if that.

"Of course I'm serious, Alex. Why wouldn't I be?" That was a fair point. Willie would never do something like that to him, would never trick or prank him. Alex trusted him not to, and he believed himself to be correct in placing his faith into the guy he'd fallen for. 

"I-" his voice faltered, as he realised that he was telling the truth. "I don't know, to be honest with you." 

Willie beamed at him, his smile so potent and full of electricity that it could have lit up the National Grid for a week, and still kept going. He turned his head away from the boy whom he'd had a secret crush on for months, and focused his attention on the sun setting in the sky in front of him, unable to believe his sheer luck. "The sunset is beautiful tonight," he commented. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Alex's small smile. 

"It is, you're right." 

"Not as beautiful as you, though." Alex's breath caught in his throat. Whoa. How had his afterlife turned into this? It was incredible, blissful, heavenly. He didn't want this euphoria rushing through his blood to ever stop. 

"A guy can dream," he sighed, trying to be funny. Willie laughed and took Alex's hand into his own. 

"Alex Mercer, will you go out with me?" 

Alex swallowed thickly. "And be your boyfriend, as in?" 

"Yes," Willie answered, his eyes watering up; he was so overcome with emotion, he wasn't in control of himself in the way he usually was. "To be my boyfriend, as in." 

The answer was always going to be the same, Alex thought to himself as he stared into Willie's dark eyes lovingly, stroking his thumb against the palm of his crush's hand. "Yes," came his response. "A thousand times yes, Willie."

He stood up and the drummer copied him, before proceeding to fling his arms around him. They hugged for a while, the hug oozing tenderness and love and saying everything that needed to be said for them. 

"I can't believe I get to be your boyfriend," Willie said when they eventually broke off the hug. "Do you reckon this is what it feels like to be the luckiest person in the world?" 

Alex smiled to himself at his boyfriend's chaotic nature and constant questioning of literally everything, which was usually his thing and not vice versa. That aside, he doubted that Willie was the lucky one out of the two of them. Either way, they were both over the moon, and that's what mattered.

"Willie, you have no idea." 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for taking your time to read this! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Anyway, stay safe and have a wonderful day! Xx


End file.
